Course Managers Update - Around the Greens in February
Published Wednesday, 13th February 2019
We sweated through the warmest January on record with 16
days of temperatures over 35oC. The nights were very warm and there
was 31 days of high humidity. The 54mm of rainfall kept the course green and
the dams full.
The Greens suffered in the heat early in the month, then
again over the long weekend. The “Catch 22” situation arose where we needed to
water to keep the greens alive, but sodium and hydrogen build up in the soil
causing root shortening, leading to dry patch which puts the plant under stress
and opens the door for disease. Several greens were hit with a fungal disease
known as Anthracnose, the worst of which are 2, 3 and 15. A couple of small
areas on these greens may require some plugs. Several applications of Gypsum
(displaces Sodium), Organic Acid (breaks down Hydrogen, in turn increasing
oxygen), and fungicides with different modes of action have been applied to
greens to combat the health issues.
While the greens are struggling in this weather, the
Couch tees are flourishing. Primo has been applied to control growth and thatch
build up. The tees are currently being cut 3 times a week such is the amount of
growth. March will see an application of “Monument” to suppress Kikuyu in tee
surfaces and on the banks.
The fairways are being cut 3 times a week to stay on top
of thatch, and to give the mowers the best possible chance to cut through them.
The fairways look brown after cutting due to the leaf of the plant being ripped
instead of being cut by the mower cylinder. More Ground Pearl patches were
turfed in January on the 17th and 18th fairways and a
program is in place to control Billbug and Black Beetle.
The irrigation system on the 19th hole has
dropped out entirely with a wiring issue and decoder problems on 13th
have stopped some sprinklers and several small leaks have popped up. These
issues will be attended to in coming days.
The end of the path leading to the 16th tee
has been re turfed and levelled out. Turf protection matting will be laid, and
this area will be open for use on the 9th of February.
The 19th,18th,16th,13th and 11th greens have been attacked by Corellas. The most serious damage has occurred on the 19th. We have applied deterrent applications which have been effective but are short lived. If you see birds on any greens, please go out of your way to scare them off.
Shay Tasker
Course Manager